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Brewer’s yeast and nutritional yeast, both budding yeasts, are nutrient-rich foods with many health benefits. They are good for the gut, help boost immunity, increase energy levels, and promote weight loss. However, it has some side effects and is not good for everyone. Read this post to learn about the pros and cons of eating these yeasts.

These effects are attributed to the yeast’s nutritional profile. It’s a rich source of B vitamins, which support the metabolism of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. Brewer’s yeast is also high in iron, selenium, zinc, and potassium. It is also a good source of protein, providing essential amino acids that the body doesn’t make by itself [R].

However, the nutritional profile varies depending on the medium on which the yeast is grown, how it is processed, and whether it has added nutrients [R].

Supplemental brewer’s yeast is grown on a medium of corn and other types of grain. It is known for being high in protein, B-vitamins, and generally chromium (some of the newer “debittered” forms don’t have chromium) [R].

Unlike brewer’s yeast, nutritional yeast has always been cultivated specifically for its nutrition. It’s grown on a glucose medium, making it gluten-free [R]. Depending on the medium it’s grown on, brewer’s yeast may contain gluten.

Nutritional yeast is also a good source of protein and B-vitamins but contains little to no chromium. It is usually fortified with vitamin B12 and folic acid (B9) [R].

The high amounts of potassium, magnesium, and calcium in brewer’s and nutritional yeasts may explain this reduction in blood pressure. According to some studies, a greater intake of these minerals can reduce the risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, and stroke [R, R].

Brewer’s and nutritional yeasts also contain proteins that help decrease blood pressure by decreasing the activity of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE). A higher activity of this enzyme is linked to high blood pressure [R, R, R].

Many of these effects are mediated by the presence of prebiotics and probiotics in S.cerevisiae (i.e. beta-glucans and mannan oligosaccharides as well as nucleotides [R, R, R].

Because of this, S.cerevisiae may help treat some gut diseases.Brewer’s yeast improved the outcome of C. difficile-associated diarrhea in animals and humans [R, R].

S.cerevisiae also eased stomach pain and discomfort in patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) disease in one study (DB-RCT) [R].

However, Saccharomyces boulardii is the only variant of S. cerevisiae currently approved for probiotic use in humans because of its clinical effectiveness in treating diarrhea and other gut disorders [R, R].

5) Brewer’s and Nutritional Yeast Boost the Immune System

Beta-glucans (sugars found in the cell walls of yeast, bacteria, and fungi) can activate the immune system and boost immune response [R].

These sugars enhance the function of the main cells in the innate immune system including macrophages, neutrophils, and natural killer cells [R].

S.cerevisiae is a natural dietary source of nucleotides. Nucleotides enhanced endurance and post workout recovery in athletes (DB-RCT), indicating that brewer’s and nutritional yeast may be used to reduce fatigue [R, R].

Patients with chronic fatigue syndrome are often deficient in many nutrients, which can worsen symptoms. A nutritional supplement based on brewer’s yeast (Nagipol) improved cognitive function and mood in chronic fatigue syndrome patients. These effects suggest that brewer’s yeast may be a useful treatment for this disorder [R, R].

10) Brewer’s and Nutritional Yeast May Protect Against Hearing Loss

Nicotinamide riboside, a form of vitamin B3 found in brewer’s and nutritional yeasts, prevented noise-induced hearing loss in mice. It reduced nerve cell damage caused by noise exposure [R].

11) Brewer’s and Nutritional Yeasts May Promote a Healthy Pregnancy

S.cerevisiae is a rich dietary source of folate, a vitamin that helps prevent major birth defects [R, R].

Oxidative stress is a major factor in preeclampsia, a pregnancy disorder that results in complications to the mother and fetus. S. cerevisiaereduced oxidative stress in maternal cord red blood cells, indicating that it may be useful in reducing oxidative damage to the pre-eclamptic fetus [R, R].

Side Effects and Risks of Brewer’s and Nutritional Yeast

S.cerevisiae is generally safe, but may cause infections in people with weakened immune systems [R].

People with yeast infections (including candida) or allergies to yeast should avoid brewer’s and nutritional yeasts [R, R].

Dietary intake of brewer’s and nutritional yeasts may increase the severity of Crohn’s disease and celiac disease in patients with antibodies to S.cerevisiae [R, R, R, R].

People who have kidney stones and gout should avoid brewer’s and nutritional yeast (because of their high purine content) [R].

Brewer’s and nutritional yeast may worsen symptoms in patients with atopic dermatitis [R].

Some brands of brewer’s yeast contain gluten and should be avoided in celiac disease patients [R].

Drug and Gene Interactions

Brewer’s yeast may interact with diabetes medications and lead to low blood sugar [R].

Brewer’s yeast has large amounts of tyramine, which can interact with monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) and cause very high blood pressure [R].

People with MTHFR polymorphisms, MTHFR C677T and A1298C, have a reduced ability to process folic acid completely and thus should avoid nutritional or brewer’s yeast fortified with synthetic folic acid [R, R].

People with mutations in the Dectin-1, STAT 1, STAT 3, TLR4, and CARD9 genes should avoid brewer’s and nutritional yeast because these variants are associated with impaired immunity and increased risk of fungal and yeast infections [R, R, R].

Genetic variants in the mannan-binding lectin (MBL) gene can lead to mannose-binding lectin deficiency, which is associated with higher anti-Saccharomyces cerevisiae antibody(ASCA) levels in Crohn’s disease patients [R, R].

How to Take Brewer’s and Nutritional Yeasts

Brewer’s and nutritional yeasts are available in powder, flake, liquid, or tablet form.

The average adult dosage for brewer’s yeast is one to two tablespoons daily [R].

Beware of Brewer’s Yeast With Gluten (if sensitive)

Well, it turns out that the first one I tried by Now Foods tasted horribly bad. It’s on par with spirulina, but not as bad as NAC and Resveratrol. If only all supplements tasted as good as inositol and NAG….

I got really tired from it for a few hours, but afterwards got a lot of energy. It had a very intense, but negative, cognitive effect.

Next, I tried the Swanson brand. It tasted really good, as opposed to the Now Foods brand. But I still got tired after it.

After some research, I realized that both the Now Food and Swanson brand were grown on Barley, which may have some gluten in it.

I then discovered that the Lewis Labs and Blue Bonnet Brewer’s Yeast were both grown on beets, not barley. They were gluten-free.

After trying both products, there was no fatigue from either of them, which indicated that gluten was indeed the problem.

The Lewis Labs product tastes better than the Blue Bonnet product. It tastes like honey nut cheerios when mixed with water and a tablespoon of honey.

Lewis Labs Brewer’s Yeast will be included into my regimen – probably 30g a day.

The main side effects users experience from brewer’s and nutritional yeast is bloating and gas:

“Why does nutritional yeast cause me to have horrible intestinal bloating and pressure?”.

“Just wondering if anyone using brewers yeast for their milk supply has had any bloating from it. I’ve been putting a teaspoon and a half in my green smoothies for over a month now but am starting to look like I have a beer belly!! LOL “.

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JOE COHEN

CEO, SelfHacked

About Joe

Growing up, Joe was plagued with a myriad of health issues such as gut problems, autoimmune issues, chronic fatigue, brain fog, insomnia, and general inflammation. Both conventional and alternative doctors weren’t able to help him, so he decided to fix himself. With lots of health questions and few satisfying answers, Joe decided to read every research paper he could get his hands on and conduct thousands of experiments on his own body in order to fix his health issues. Joe started SelfHacked in late 2013 when he successfully fixed all of his issues, and now it gets millions of readers a month looking to educate themselves about how they can improve their health. Joe is now a thriving author, speaker, and serial entrepreneur, founding SelfDecode & LabTestAnalyzer.

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